Electrically insulating housings



May 18, 1965 OBERT ETAL ELECTRICALLY INSULATING HOUSINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14 1962 y 18, 1965 1.. OBERT ETAL 3,184,705

ELECTRICALLY INSULATING HOUS INGS Filed Dec. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 45 I L. [M /4 25? m" United States Patent 3,184,705 ELECTRICALLY INSULATING HOUSINGS Luciano Obert and Wladimiro Teagno, Turin, Italy, assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Dec. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,632 Claims priority, application Italy, Dec. 22, 1961, 19,910 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-476) This invention relates to bipartite, electrically insulating housings of which-the two parts of the housing are interengageable so that a cavity in one part forms, with a cavity in the other part, a passageway through the housing.

7 It is an object to provide an improved housing in which assembly of electrical connectors is simplified.

In a bipartite,- electrically insulating housing in accordance with this invention the first, male, part fits within the second, female, part and the cavity in the male part is open to a face of the male part which is covered by the female part when the parts are engaged. The cavity in the female part runs from that face which engages with the male part straight through the female part to an outside face of the bipartite housing.

The housings may have a series of passageways formed by a series of cavities in the two parts. The housings are of particular use for making electrical connections between electrical connectors secured to electrical conductors. The cavity in one part has a connector mounted therein which establishes connection to a second connector mounted in a cavity in the other part when the two parts are engaged. The electrical connectors may be similar, or hermaphrodite, or different, for example one may have a receptacle for receiving a plug or tab of the other. The connectors may also conveniently be of the so-called flag type, i.e., connectors in which the electrical conductors to which they are secured, for example by crimping, are at right angles to the axis of that part of the connectors which engage the other connectors.

The male part of the housing may comprise a general ly cylindrical plug with a cavity running longitudinally of the cylindrical part and open to the side wall. This cavity will hold an electrical connector, secured to an electrical conductor, the connector being inserted into the cavity through its open side; the cavity is shaped to locate the connector and may also engage a detent on the connector. The female part of the housing has a recess of a shape to receive the cylindrical part with a cavity having a connector lying within it; the cavity is shaped to locate the connector. When the two parts of the housing are brought together the open-sided cavity in the male part is covered by a wall of the recess in the female part and the electrical connection between the two connectors lies wholly within the passageway formed within the insulating housing. Further, the connector in the male housing is held firmly in position by the engagement between the two parts.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a bipartite housing with the parts disengaged and without connectors in position;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section of the housing shown in FIGURE 1 with connectors in position;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of a male connector for use in the housing of FIGURES 1 to 3.

The housing of FIGURE 1 comprises a plug or male part 1 and a female part or socket 2, the male part 1 comprising a substantially cylindrical plug portion 3 adapted to be slidably received in a complementary cylindrical socket recess 4 formed in the female part 2.

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The plug portion 3 of the male part 1 is formed with three cavities 7 extending longitudinally of the plug portion, open to the side wall of the plug portion 3 and open at one end towards the recess 4 in the female portion 2. Each cavity 7 is designed to receive a male connector 9 as seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, and a suitable male connector is shown in FIGURE 4.

Each connector 9, as most clearly seen in FIGURE 4, is made from sheet metal and comprises a fiat tab 11 having a projection 13 stamped out of the tab adjacent one end of the tab which is formed at that end with extensions for securing the tab to a conductor. The extensions comprise an initially U-shaped portion 17 transverse of the tab 11 and projecting sidewardly therefrom, and a tongue 19 extending longitudinally of the tab. The portion 17 is crimped to a bared end of the conductive core of an insulated conductor 15, the arm of the U-sl1ape being curled inwardly and pressed down into the core to give a ferrule 17 of substantially B-shaped cross section. The tongue 19 is curled around the insulation of conductor 15 to support the connection between the core and ferrule 17 by supporting the tab 11 on the insulation. The condue-tor 15 extends normally to, that is transversely of, the tab 11.

Each cavity 7 has three ribs 21 and a recess 23, the ribs cooperating with the tab 11 to locate it accurately and hold it in position in the cavity. The connectors are inserted from the open side of the cavity with conductors 15 to which the connectors are secured lying in apertures 25, the conductors 15 being substantially at right angles to the male connectors 9. The tongue 13 of each connector enters the recess 23 to assist in locating and holding the connector but as the connectors are inserted sideways they are free to fall out sideways.

The female part 2 of the housing has three channels 6 running across the back behind recess 4 and communicating therewith by respective cavities 22, each channel 6 holding a conductor 8 to which a female connector 10 is secured. Each connector 10 comprises a receptacle formed by two wings 12 bent over and directed towards a base 14 so that the tab 11 can be inserted between the ends of the wings 12 and the base 14 to make electrical connection between the two connectors. The connectors 10 are secured to the conductors 8 by crimping. The arms of two U-shaped portions are curled inwardly and pressed down to give two ferrules 16 and 18, the ferrule 16 making connection with the bare end of the conductor and the ferrule 18 supporting the connector 10 on the insulation of the conductor. A spring detent 20 is stamped out of the base 14 of each connector.

Each connector 10 lies in a cavity 22. The cavities run from the recess 4 to respective channels 6 and are formed with shoulders 24 to engage the detents 20 of the connectors 10. The connectors are inserted into the cavities at right angles to the axis of the conductors and pressed home until the detents 20 engage the shoulders 24.

When the two parts of the housing are engaged, the plug portion 3 enters the socket recess 4, the tabs 11 of the connectors 9 entering the receptacles of the connectors 10. The open sides of the cavities 7 are closed by the walls of the recess 4 in the female part 2 of the housing.

The two par-ts of the housing are suitably polarised with respect to each other to prevent mating in the wrong sense by virtue of the asymmetrical cross-section of the plug 3 and recess 4.

The housing described is an illustration of one application of the invention and other arrangements will be apparent to those skilled in the art which fall within the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A bipartite electrically insulating housing carrying a pair of electrical connectors, at least one of which being a generally'rectangular flag connector, said housing including a male part formed with a plug portion having generally rectangular connector-receiving cavity extending longitudinally of the plug portion, said rectangular cavity being open at its narrow cross-sectional dimension for. its"full conneetor-receiving length to the side wall of said male part andreceiving said flag connector edgewise throughsaid side wall, said housing further including a female part having a socket recess'to'receive the plug portion with the socket covering the plug portion cavity and having a cavity opening to the' recess and cooperating with'the cavity in the'plugportion to define a passageway through the housing, the other, connector of said pair being disposed in the cavity of the female part with the pair of connectors interengaging in said passageway.

2. A bipartite electrically insulating housing for carrying a pair of electrical connectors, said housing including a male part'formed'with' a plug portion having an elongated connector-receiving cavity extending longitudinally of the plug portion, said cavity being open through the sidewall'of the'plug portion for its full connector-receivinglength to receive its associated connector sidewise into the plug portionsaid housing further including a female parthaving a socket recess to receive andshroud the plug portion with the socket sidewalls covering the; open side of'the plug portion cavity over a major part of its length to prevent removal and confine the associated connector therein, said female part having a connector-receiving cavity opening to said recess andtcooperating with the cavity of the plug portion todefine a passageway through the housing in which the pair of connectors interengage.

References Cited-by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,760,173 8/56 Cunningham 339--76 2,768,361 10/156' Aquillon et al.1 339256-X 2,802,194 8/57 Kirk 339276 2,813,258 11/57" Klilmpp 339-276 2,891,103 6/59 Swengel 339-126X 2,945,207 7/60 Duks 339276 2,956,260 10/60 Bennetti. 339-176 3,065,446 11/160 Robb et-al. 339184 3,034,091 5/62 Gluck. 3397-403 3,072,340 1/63 Dean 339176 X 3,090,936- 5/ 63 Maltby, 339-2l0 M. HENSON WOOD, 111., W. DONALD MILLER,

- Examiners. 

1. A BIPARTITE ELECTRICALLY INSULATING HOUSING CARRYING A PAIR OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH BEING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FLAG CONNECTOR, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A MALE PART FORMED WITH A PLUG PORTION HAVING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR CONNECTOR-RECEIVING CAVITY EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE PLUG PORTION, SAID RECTANGULAR CAVITY BEING OPEN AT ITS NARROW CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION FOR ITS FULL CONNECTOR-RECEIVING LENGTH TO THE SIDE WALL OF SAID MALE PART AND RECEIVING SAID FLAG CONNECTOR EDGEWISE 